Is Somali Naval Piracy Over?

Somali Piracy Was Reduced To Zero This Year -- David Yanofsky, Quartz

Not a single vessel was hijacked this year off the Horn of Africa, where piracy waged by Somalis was once rampant, according to the US Office of Naval Intelligence.

It’s the fourth annual decline in Indian Ocean piracy, following a peak of 52 vessels in 2009—the year Richard Phillip’s ship, the Maersk Alabama, was commandeered by Somalis. That hijacking was the subject of a major motion picture this year.

As we noted in May, the disappearance of Somali piracy follows

• an increased presence of international navies in and around the Indian Ocean;
• Kenyan military intervention against al-Shabab strongholds in Somalia;
• and vigilance among vessel owners, who have rerouted and fortified ships to combat piracy threats.

Read more ....

My Comment: One of the few "bright stories" for 2013.